The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion – Acme [#1] (LP, US)

20 October 1998 Matador Records OLE-322-1
01. Calvin
02. Magical Colors
03. Do You Wanna Get Heavy?
04. High Gear
05. Talk About The Blues
06. I Wanna Make It All Right

2.1. Lovin’ Machine
02. Bernie
03. Blue Green Olga
04. Give Me A Chance
05. Desperate
06. Torture
07a. Attack
07b. Calvin (Reprise)

VIEW:
NOTES:
Heavy black vinyl with printed paper inner sleeve (also issued on vinyl in the UK and on CD in Japan with bonus tracks).

There was also a later re-pressing featuring a “150 Gram” foil sticker on the outside of the shrink-wrap and the label area has a seconder wider ‘trench’ not present on this version.

Also includes the unlisted Calvin (Reprise) after the last track, also featured on the CD release.

Calvin, Magical Colors, Heavy, Talk About The Blues were all released as singles.

An earlier version of Attack was released on Selector Dub Narcotic and titled Blues Explosion Attack, this has much more raw live-sound and totally different lyrics.

High Gear is titled Italian Country Pickup on the Japanese promo CD.

The title of the song Bernie is a tribute to a Blues Explosion fan who follows the band around the country. The song was originally “called Get Down With Brian for this Dub Narcotic guy, but Albini called it Get Down With Bernie. We shortened it as a tribute to him and to the friends of the Blues Explosion.” – extract from Rolling Stone article Track X Track.

The song Talk About The Blues was written as a direct response to a Rolling Stone review of Now I Got Worry and Q&A with Jon Spencer and the title is a reference to I Do Not Play Not Rock ‘n’ Roll by Mississippi Fred McDowell. The song is discussed in detail in both a CMJ New Music Monthly article titled ‘Acme Blues Explosives, INC’ and a later Rolling Stone interview.

Talk About The Blues was commercially released as single on 7″ (UK), CD (UK/US) and 12″ (UK/US).

In 2010 Shout! Factory / Shove! Records issued Acme + Acme Plus as a double CD with numerous additional tracks.

SONG CREDITS:
Studios: Electrical, RPM, Greene Street, Waterworks, Dub Narcotic, Big House
Mastering: Howie Weinberg and Andy Van Dette at Masterdisk

1.1. Calvin
Writers: Spencer/Explosion
Published: Dirty Shirt (BMI)
Recorded: Calvin Johnson
Remixed and Arranged: T-Ray

1.2. Magical Colors
Writers: Spencer/Explosion
Published: Dirty Shirt (BMI)
Recorded: Steve Albini
Mixed with Greg Talenfeld
Piano and Organ: Jeremy Jacobson
Backing Vocals: Talenfeld

1.3. Do You Wanna Get Heavy?
Writers: Spencer/Explosion
Published: Dirty Shirt (BMI)
Recorded: Suz Dyer
Mixed with Dan the Automator
Backing Vocals: Dexter Conyers, Lee ‘Scout’ Ford, Jerome ‘Rome’ Cohen and Jason Powell
Scratching: The Automator

1.4. High Gear
Writers: Spencer/Explosion
Published: Dirty Shirt (BMI)
Recorded/Mixed: Steve Albini

1.5. Talk About The Blues
Writers: Spencer/Explosion
Published: Dirty Shirt (BMI)
Recorded: Suz Dyer, Calvin Johnson and Greg Talenfeld
Mixed: Dan the Automator
Noises: Rick Lee
Scratching: Automator

1.6. I Wanna Make It All Right
Writers: Spencer/Explosion
Published: Dirty Shirt (BMI)
Recorded: Steve Albini Mixed: Chris Shaw
Organ and Synthersizer: Shaw

2.1. Lovin’ Machine
Writers: Spencer/Explosion
Published: Dirty Shirt (BMI)
Recorded: Steve Albini
Mixed: Jim Water and Scott Benzel with Dan the Automator
Piano: Greg Forman

2.2. Bernie
Writers: Spencer/Explosion
Published: Dirty Shirt (BMI)
Recorded: Suz Dyer and Calvin Johnson
Mixed with Nick Sansano
Backing Vocals: Cristina Martinez and Hollis Queens
Organ: Brian Weber
Piano: Sansano

2.3. Blue Green Olga
Writers: Cunniff/Explosion
Published: EMI April Music Inc./Grand Royal Music/Luscious Jackson Music, ASCAP/Dirty Shirt, BMI
Recorded: Suz Dyer Mixed with Dan the Automator
Backing Vocals: Jill Cunniff
Organ: Joel Diamond
Scratching: Automator

2.4. Give Me A Chance
Writers: Spencer/Explosion
Published: Dirty Shirt (BMI)
Recorded: Steve Albini Mixed: Chris Shaw and with Greg Talenfeld
Organ/Synthersizer: Shaw

2.5. Desperate
Writers: Spencer/Explosion
Published: Dirty Shirt (BMI)
Recorded: Steve Albini
Mixed with Greg Talenfeld and Dan The Automator
Harmonica: Talenfeld
Backing Vocals: Audrey Rose

2.6. Torture
Writers: Spencer/Explosion
Published: Dirty Shirt (BMI)
Recorded: Suz Dyer
Mixed with Dan The Automator
Additional Mixing with Nick Sansano

2.7a Attack
Writers: Spencer/Explosion
Published: Dirty Shirt (BMI)
Recorded: Steve Albini
Mixed with Alec Empire and Dan The Automator
Scratching: The Automator

2.7b. Calvin Reprise
Writers: Spencer/Explosion
Mixed: Jim Dickinson
Horn Section: Brass Monkey
Special Guest: Othar Turner

SLEEVE NOTES:
“Thank You: Cristina. Charlie. Bud Hart. Moby. Techno Animal. Tim Simenon. Clyde Haygood. Amanda Ray. Arlene Lapsberg. Cris Cush. Andy Adler. Brian Brown. Hollis. Clarence White. Niko Tavernise. Eric Tew. Peter Arsenault. Chris Fahey. Jamey Staub. Dick Meredith. Loren Chodosh. RZO. the Billions Corporation. CBL. Pav. Creative Man. Tim and Micha Warren. Andre Williams. Larry Hardy. Mute. Matador. Toys Factory. Au Go Go. Capitol.
DETAILS:
ARTWORK:
Photography: Stephanie Chernikowski
Design: David Warner

BARCODE: 7 44861 03221 2

RUN-OUT GROOVE ENGRAVING:
A: “OLE-322-1-A MASTERDISK”
B: “OLE-322-1-B MASTERDISK”